CHAPTER 3
Construction and Use of Synthetic Media
C H A R I T Y W A Y M O U T H
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.A.
I. Historical Approach
99
A. Use of balanced salt solutions
100
B. Early artificial media: the imitative approach
102
C. Synthetic media as supplements to biological media
102
D. Biological media as supplements to synthetic media
103
II. Design of Complete Synthetic Media
106
III. Synthetic Media in Relation to Cells and their Total Environment
121
A. Adaptation of cells to, and stability of cell strains in, synthetic media
121
B. Synthetic media for cells in suspension
126
C. Organ cultures in synthetic media
127
IV. Future Prospects
130
References
132
I. H I S T O R I C A L A P P R O A C H
In the problem of providing a suitable medium for tissue cultures,
Carrel (1912) was initially responsible for insisting upon the importance
of viewing the system of cells and medium as a whole, each interacting
continually the one with the other. But, at that time and for as long
as a plasma coagulum seemed indispensable for successful tissue
culture, the attainment of a fully defined environment appeared to
be remote. Even in those early days, however, there were those,
exemplified pre-eminently by W . H . and M . R. Lewis (1912), who
were hopeful about the possibilities of defining the environment and
creating systems which could be reproduced from one laboratory to
another. The present chapter reports the progress which has been
made.
Much of the history of cell nutrition, leading up to the development
of chemically defined media, has been repeatedly reviewed (e.g. by
Stewart and Kirk, 1954; Waymouth, 1954a, 1960b; Biggers, Rinaldini
and Webb, 1957; Geyer, 1958; Morgan, 1958; Willmer, 1958; Swim,
1959; Parker, 1961), so no attempt will be made here to provide exhaustive documentation. The present aim will be rather to draw
Construction and Use of Synthetic Media
C H A R I T Y W A Y M O U T H
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.A.
I. Historical Approach
99
A. Use of balanced salt solutions
100
B. Early artificial media: the imitative approach
102
C. Synthetic media as supplements to biological media
102
D. Biological media as supplements to synthetic media
103
II. Design of Complete Synthetic Media
106
III. Synthetic Media in Relation to Cells and their Total Environment
121
A. Adaptation of cells to, and stability of cell strains in, synthetic media
121
B. Synthetic media for cells in suspension
126
C. Organ cultures in synthetic media
127
IV. Future Prospects
130
References
132
I. H I S T O R I C A L A P P R O A C H
In the problem of providing a suitable medium for tissue cultures,
Carrel (1912) was initially responsible for insisting upon the importance
of viewing the system of cells and medium as a whole, each interacting
continually the one with the other. But, at that time and for as long
as a plasma coagulum seemed indispensable for successful tissue
culture, the attainment of a fully defined environment appeared to
be remote. Even in those early days, however, there were those,
exemplified pre-eminently by W . H . and M . R. Lewis (1912), who
were hopeful about the possibilities of defining the environment and
creating systems which could be reproduced from one laboratory to
another. The present chapter reports the progress which has been
made.
Much of the history of cell nutrition, leading up to the development
of chemically defined media, has been repeatedly reviewed (e.g. by
Stewart and Kirk, 1954; Waymouth, 1954a, 1960b; Biggers, Rinaldini
and Webb, 1957; Geyer, 1958; Morgan, 1958; Willmer, 1958; Swim,
1959; Parker, 1961), so no attempt will be made here to provide exhaustive documentation. The present aim will be rather to draw